When it comes to world capitals, there’s not much debate that Abu Dhabi is the capital of United Arab Emirates and Zagreb is the capital of Croatia. But other “world capitals” are harder to define.
This week, the Photo Vault looks at Cordele, Ga., the self-proclaimed “Watermelon Capital of the World.”
Although the town of a little over 11,000 that lies 140 miles south of Atlanta dedicates June to that juicy, delectable fruit, it’s not the longest-running celebration. Rush Springs, Okla., has been celebrating citrullus lanatus since 1940 – nearly a full decade before Cordele rolled out Watermelon Days.
And Hope, Ark., besides being the hometown of William Jefferson Clinton, the nation’s 42nd president, also boasts the world’s largest watermelon. The world-record setter was grown in 2005, weighing in at 268.8 pounds. The town has a long history of record-breaking watermelons, dating back to a 136-pounder in 1925.
But you’d be hard-pressed to find a town that embraces the watermelon more than Cordele.
This month marks its 65th year celebrating the bountiful summer harvest with the Watermelon Days Festival. Wrapping up this weekend, the best events were saved for last, according to Monica G. Simmons, president of the Cordele-Crisp Chamber of Commerce.
“The festival has 30 events in all and some of the biggest are this Saturday,” she said. “We already crowned the Watermelon Queen, but we’ll have contests for eating and chunking, there’s arts and crafts, live entertainment and of course, free slices of watermelon.”
Although Cordele is in the largest watermelon-producing county in Georgia, the state isn’t tops in the world. The largest growers in the United States are Georgia, Florida and California. Depending on who you ask and what year it is, any one of them could hold first place. But the world leader is China. At about 70 million tons, it produces more of the summer staple than just about everyone else combined.
One could argue, however, that being the watermelon capital involves more than statistics or years in existence. Simmons’ voice swelled with pride when she talked about how watermelon is the largest cash crop in that agrarian part of the state. With buyers, brokers and workers coming in for stays of a month or more, the hotels, restaurants, gas stations, etc. reap the benefits.
And of course, the most important aspect of being the watermelon capital should involve taste.
“Our melons taste better because of our sandy soil and hot, dry nights,” said Simmons. “I’d put ours up against any watermelon anywhere in the world. Once you taste it, you’ll be convinced hands-down that we are the undisputed capital.”
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